A malicious code can do anything other program can. It can write a message on the computer screen, erase a stored file or stop a running program. Malicious codes can do different things every time. They can also do nothing most of the time and then suddenly act in a very dramatic way.

What is a malicious code? How is it possible that it can take control of a system? How can you recognize a malicious code? Is it possible to stop it? Let me try to give you some answers.

A malicious code is an undesired effect in a program or in a part of a program, caused by an agent intent on damage. A virus is a program that can pass on a malicious code to other good programs by modifying them. A virus “infects” a program by attaching itself to the program. Then the virus destroys the other program or it exists with it. Also the good program can be modified. It then acts like a virus and starts to infect other programs. A transient virus acts when the attached program runs and terminates when the attached program stops. A resident virus locates itself in the memory of the computer and can remain active even if the attached program stops.

A Trojan horse is a malicious code that besides its primary effect even has a non obvious effect. It can for example take the identification and password of a user, passes the identifi-cation information on to the rest of the system, but keeps a copy of the information for later use.

A logic bomb is a type of malicious code that goes off when a certain condition happens. A time bomb is a logic bomb, where the trigger is a time or date.

A worm is a malicious code that spreads copies of itself through a network. The difference between a worm and a virus is that a worm operates through a network and a virus is spread through a medium, usually a copied program or data files.

The only way to prevent an infection by virus is to avoid sharing an executable code with an infected source. Of course you cannot know which sources are infected, the best advice I can give you is to expect that any outside source is infected. The problem is that you cannot cut out all contact with the outside world. However there are some techniques to obtain a fairly safe community for your contact with the outside world.

1. Use only commercial software from established vendors
2. Test all new software on an isolated computer
3. Made a bootable disc and store it on a safe place
4. Make backup copies of executable system files
5. Use virus scanners regularly

You can never be quite safe for a malicious code, but at least you have a good chance to diminish the harm if you follow these fairly simple rules.

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Protect your social security number. There are very few people in life who really need to know your social security number. Besides government entities and certain creditors, no one should be asking you for that information. If they do, politely refuse or instruct them to mail their request to you in writing.

Block telemarketers. Make certain that your phone number is registered on “do not call” registries to keep telemarketers at bay. You control your phone; get caller i.d. to avoid those who slip through the loopholes in the law.

Chop it up. Important documents you no longer need should not be tossed in the trash without going through a shredder first. Purchase a unit that shreds your paper into small diamonds to ensure that no thief will piece back together important information and make you an easy victim of identity theft.

Examine your monthly statements. With consumers charging just about anything including their gas, food, store, and online purchases, it can be easy to skim through monthly credit card statements without paying attention to every line. Crafty thieves are hoping that you will do just that! Examine each line and respond to anything that doesn’t look legitimate. If you have a dispute, follow the instructions from your credit card supplier on how to contest something that is not right. Usually, in order to maintain your rights, you have to register your dispute in writing.

Guard your mail. Having a mailbox on the street is an easy way for thieves to drive up, take your mail, and cruise away. In some neighborhoods, it is simply better to use a secured post office box than to risk thieves riding off with your mail. If you suspect that someone has stolen your mail, notify your local postmaster. The United States Postal Service has a crack team of investigators who are heavily involved in battling identity theft through mail fraud.

Shield your computer. By running the most current internet security programs, regularly updating your various passwords, and only buying goods through a secure site [which are those with an “s” in their web address: https], you can limit the opportunities for thieves to steal your information.

Order your free credit reports. Beginning in September 2005, the 3 major credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union – are now required to allow consumers to receive one free copy of their personal credit report every year. Some consumers, in order to stay on top of their credit history, order a copy every 4 months from a different agency. Examine your credit reports closely and take the necessary steps to amend all errors.

If you know that you are a victim of identity theft, notify your local police department and file a report with them. In addition, contact all 3 credit reporting agencies and ask that a “fraud alert” be placed in your credit file.

You must take aggressive action to counter this widespread problem and to ensure that your good name and credit record are properly restored. Fight back: you can win the identity theft battle!

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Each day their serve thousands of customers from around the world, utilizing innovative concepts and technologies to meet their growing needs. They offer more than 12,000+ security products designed solely to your security, safety, prevention and retrieval of everything you hold important to your heart.

One of their best products are Hidden Camera.
A Hidden camera can be covertly hidden virtually anywhere in ordinary objects such as :

- a clock
The Hidden ClockCam iShot With Motion Detection makes surveillance easy by offering the only clock camera that doubles as a fast-action camera triggered by motion detection. With no complicated set-up you can set the clock camera next to your bed or in your office and record snapshots the moment someone enters your personal space.

- Tissue box
Completely covert hidden camera DVR captures crystal clear video day or night with a high resolution D1 low light CCD camera. No one will suspect that this standard tissue box is recording their every move! Completely covert and undetectable.

- lighter
The Lighter Hidden Camera is not only completely covert, but it’s tiny, wireless, and a fully functional lighter, making it an obvious choice for on-the-go spy video surveillance. No one will expect that this standard lighter is recording an amazing 12 hours of video on the 8Gb of internal memory.

and so you can find to other’s item.

What object would you like to see a hidden camera feel free to find here.

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Use a high quality anti-virus program. There are many different anti-virus computers programs on the market some of them are better than others. Look to reputable computer magazines or websites for ratings to help you find the one that matches your needs.



Always use your anti-virus software. Make sure your anti-virus software is always turned on and scanning, incoming and outgoing email messages, and any software programs you run.

Keep your antivirus programs up to date. Most programs come with a yearly subscription make sure you take advantage of the updates. More advanced programs allow you to schedule updates or full system scans for “off hours” like 2AM when you aren’t likely to be using your computer.

Keep your computer up to date. From time to time operating systems fall victim to security holes or issue updates. Make sure you check periodically to make sure you are running stable up to date versions of your software.

Backup your data regularly. Most windows computer users keep their documents in the “My documents” folder. This makes it easy to back up all of your important documents. Make weekly or monthly copies to CD or USB drives.

If you use floppy disks or USB drives on public computers like your school computer lab, Kinko’s, or even digital photo printing store make sure you scan them for viruses. Public computers are notorious for not being up to date and properly protected.

Be wary of email attachments. Treat any email attachment as potentially dangerous. Never open attachments from people you weren’t expecting. Also be careful of attachments from people you know but weren’t expecting. Many computer viruses replicate themselves by reading the contacts from an infected computer.

Use text email if possible. While HTML email is prettier and allows you more control over formatting it also can carry computer viruses. If you use text based email the only way to get a virus is by opening an attachment.

Use downloaded freeware and shareware files or software with caution. Try to download them from popular reputable sources that scan the programs before they are uploaded. To make sure you are safe scan the program before you install it on your computer.

Be wary of links in IM or instant messaging software. Don’t accept invitations from people you don’t know and never click a link from someone you don’t trust, they can easily redirect you to another website that will try to install a virus on your computer system.

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The problem is not that strangers will be able to use your router to access the Internet but that, without further protection, would-be intruders will be able monitor and sniff out information you send and receive on your network. Malicious intruders can even hop on to your internal network; access your hard drives; and, steal, edit, or delete files on your computer.

The good news is that it is relatively easy to secure your wireless router. Here are three basic steps you should take.

1. Password protect the access to your router’s internal configuration

To access your router’s internal setup, open a browser and enter the routers setup URL. The URL will be specified in the manual. The URLs for D-Link and Linksys routers, two major manufacturers of wireless routers, are http://192.168.0.1 and http://192.168.1.1, respectively.

For Linksys routers, leave the user name blank and type “admin” (without the quotes) in the password field and press enter. To change the password, simply click on the Password tab and enter your new password.

For other routers, please consult your manual. Alternately, you can search on the Internet with the term “default login for ”. Don’t be surprised to find quite a number of pages listing default login parameters for many different routers, even uncommon ones.

2. Change the default SSID (Service Set IDentifier)

The SSID is the name of a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network). All wireless devices on a WLAN use SSIDs to communicate with each other.

Routers ship with standard default SSIDs. For example, the default SSID for Linksys routers is, not unsurprisingly, “Linksys”. As you can see, if you don’t change the default SSID of your router a would-be intruder armed with a few common SSIDs from major manufacturers will be able to find your wireless network quite easily.

To change the SSID, click on the Wireless tab. Look for an input item labeled SSID. It will be near the top. Enter a new name for network. Don’t use something like “My Network”. Use a name that is be hard to guess.

3. Disable SSID broadcast

Wireless enabled computers use network discovery software to automatically search for nearby SSIDs. Some of the more advanced software will query the SSIDs of nearby networks and even display their names. Therefore, changing the network name only helps partially to secure your network. To prevent your network name from being discovered, you must disable SSID broadcast.

In the same screen that you changed the name of your network, you will see options for SSID broadcast. Choose “Disable SSID” to make your network invisible. Now save all your settings and log out.

Since your wireless network is now invisible, you will have to configure your computers to connect to your wireless network using the new name. On Windows XP, start by clicking on the wireless icon in the Notification Area and proceed from there.

With these three steps, your network now has basic security. However, if you keep sensitive information on your computers, you may want to secure your wireless network even further. For example, you can

- Change the channel your router uses to transmit and receive data on a regularly basis.
- Restrict devices that can connect to the router by filtering out MAC (Media Access Control) addresses.
- Use encryption such as WEP and WPA.

As with most things in life, security is a trade off between cost (time, money, inconvenience) and benefit (ease of use). It is a personal decision you make. However for the majority of home uses, the three basic steps plus WEP/WPA encryption provides reasonably strong security.

Turning on encryption is a two-step process. First you configure your router to use encryption using an encryption key of your choice. And then, you configure your computer to use the encryption key. The actual process of configuring your router for encryption varies from router to router. Please consult the router’s manual.

There are even stronger methods for ensuring security. A strong and robust security method is RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial In User Service). Using RADIUS requires additional hardware and software. However, there are companies that offer RADIUS security as a subscription based service. The fees are reasonable and dropping.

Therefore for example, if you run a business on your wireless network, have sensitive data on your computers such as credit card information, and have a number of users who access your network, you should consider using RADIUS. Since the service sector for RADIUS is dynamic and growing, a search on the Internet with terms like “RADIUS subscription” or “RADIUS service” is probably the best way to locate one.

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